Mechanism for elevating a platform from engagement with a floor



MECHANISM FOR ELEVATING A PLATFORM FROM ENGAGEMENT WITH A FLOOR Filed Aug. 12, 1952 n i-- Ill T I 8 L\ \a II L INVENTOR.

J b/5 1) Jilh'Z/AW gawzaa United States Patent MECHANISM FOR ELEVATING A PLATFORM FROM ENGAGEMENT WITH A FLOOR Ford SeBastian, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Electro-Snap Switch & Mfg. Co., Chicago, 11]., a corporation of Illinois Application August 12, 1952, Serial No. 304,029

1 Claim. (Cl. 16-34) This invention relates to a mechanism for elevating a platform from engagement with a floor.

The invention is especially useful in association with mechanically operated hobby-horses in which the horse and its operating mechanism are mounted upon a relatively fiat platform.

Frequently it is desirable to move the hobby horse from one location to another. Due to the weight of the hobby horse and its platform, such movement is accomplished with great difficulty. The present object of this invention is to provide a mechanism which will greatly facilitate such movement with the minimum degree of labor on the part of the operator.

Yet another and equally important object of the invention is to provide a mechanism of the character hereinafter described which will comprise a minimum number of parts, thereby enabling the manufacture thereof at the most economical cost.

A still further and equally important object of the invention is to provide a simple, yet effective, arrangement for latching the platform elevating mechanism in platform-elevated position. Such arrangement is essential in that the platform cannot accidentally drop from an elevated position onto the floor, during movement of the hobby horse and its platform from place to place.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings showing the preferred form of construction, and in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a mechanically operated hobby horse with which my invention is associated;

Fig. 2 is a sectional fragmentary plan view taken substantially on line 22 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional detail view taken substantially on line 3--3 of Fig. 2.

While my invention may be associated with devices of various descriptions, for clarity and for understanding of the invention, I have shown the same associated with a mechanically operated hobby horse 10. Such horse includes a base 11, which houses the various mechanisms necessary to operate the horse. This base and its mechanism are mounted on a relatively fiat platform 12.

In order to facilitate movement of the hobby horse 10 and its platform 12 from one location to another, I have employed the following described mechanism for elevating the hobby horse carrying platform 12 from engagement with the floor.

In this connection there is provided at each corner portion of the platform a caster 13. As the mechanism for supporting and projecting each of the casters is substantially the same, the description of one of such mech-' anisms will be equally applicable to the others.

A shaft 14 has its end portions 15 journaled in the side walls 16 of the base 11 or in some fixed part thereof. On this shaft 14 is a lifting cam 16'. Such cam 16' has ice a relatively fiat edge 17 which is adapted to engage a plate 18. This plate 18 by means of a pintle 19 is pivotally supported transversely of a substantially L-shaped bracket 20. This bracket 20 is fixedly secured as at 21 to the platform 12.

The platform 12 provides an elongated slot 23 through which project depending lugs 24 extending parallel and in spaced relation with respect to each other. Between these lugs is arranged the caster 13 which is connected to the lugs by means of a pin 25 on which the caster rotates.

The cam 16 provides a stop portion 26. Arranged in the path of movement of this stop portion is a stop lug 27. This stop in cooperation with the cam, limits pivotal movement of the cam from platform elevating position.

The end of the shaft 14, as at 28, is substantially square in cross section and is adapted to be received in the square opening of a suitable hand lever (not shown) by means of which the shaft 14 is rotated.

When the plate 18 is in the position shown in dotted lines (Fig. 3), the platform 12 will be in engagement with the floor. To elevate the platform, the shaft 14 is rotated to bear the cam against the plate 18 and dispose the latching edge 17 into engagement with the adjacent side of such plate 18. This operation pivots the plate downwardly so as to bear the casters 13 against the floor thereby elevating the platform 12 and the hobby horse and its operating mechanism relative to such floor. In this elevated position of the platform the latching edge 17 of the cam 16 will releasably latch the plate 18 in platform-elevated position, thereby preventing accidental pivotal movement of such plate under the weight of the hobby horse and its operating mechanism from such floor-elevated position. By the employment of an arrangement such as is above described, a simple and easily operating mechanism is provided for elevating a mechanism supporting platform from floor engaging position by the least amount of effort on the part of the operator.

As the mechanism comprises relatively few parts it can be manufactured at an economical cost.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

A mechanism for elevating a platform from engagement with a floor for movement over said floor, comprising a substantially L-shaped mounting bracket fixedly carried by said platform, a pivot pin on said bracket and extending transversely of one leg thereof and in parallel relation with the other leg thereof, a plate having one end connected by said pin to said bracket for pivotal movement relative to said bracket and said floor, a pair of spaced lugs extending downwardly from one side of and adjacent one end of said plate and adapted to move through a horizontal slot formed in said platform adjacent one end of said bracket, a wheel rotatably carried by said lugs of said plate within said platform, a shaft rotatably mounted on said one leg of said bracket and extending transversely of and above said plate with one end thereof extending through an opening formed in said platform, a cam on said shaft for rotation therewith into engagement with said plate on the side opposite said lugs thereof, said cam having on one side thereof a flat edge portion engaging said plate on said opposite side to latch said plate and said wheel against pivotal movement through said slot under the weight of said platform, said shaft at the end thereof extending from said platform having a square tool engaging portion, a stop provided on the opposite side of said cam and movable about said shaft with said cam, and a vertically projecting stop pin carried by said plate between its pivotal connection to said bracket and the pivotal connection ofsaid cam in the path of movement of-said'cam stop to limit pivotal movement of said plate and said wheel through said slot when said plate moves under the weight of said platform.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Cogger Nov. 14, 1876 Koch et al Apr. 7, 1914 Clements Oct. 10, 1922 Thurlby et a1 Oct. 15, 1929 

